This vegetable is a good tonic food for health. It contains carbohydrates, mainly in the form of sugar, and it has a little protein and fat. Beet is taken in a variety of ways. The skin should be removed before use. The leaves, like all green vegetables, should be cooked with a small amount of water and for only a short time. The fresher the beets, the better the flavor and the quicker they cook.

The beet juice is considered one of the best vegetable juices. It contains sodium, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, sulphur, chlorine, iodine, iron, copper, vitamins B1, B2, C and P. This juice is rich in easily digestible carbohydrates, but the calorie content is low. The protein factors or amino acids are good in both quality and quantity.

Natural Benefits and Curative Properties

Beets are of great therapeutic value. They have properties to clean the kidneys and gall bladder. Being rich in alkaline elements, potassium, calcium, magnesium and iron, they are useful in combating acidosis and aid the natural processes of elimination.

Anemia

Red beet juice is associated with human blood and blood forming qualities. Due to its higher content of iron, it regenerates and reactivates the red blood cells, supplies fresh oxygen to the body and helps the normal function of vesicular breathing i.e. normal breath sound.

The juice of the red beet strengthens the body's powers of resistance and has proved to be an excellent remedy for anemia, especially for children and teenagers where other blood forming remedies have failed.

Digestive Disorders

Beet juice is beneficial in the treatment of jaundice, hepatitis, nausea and vomiting due to biliousness, diarrhea and dysentary. Adding a teaspoonful of lime juice increases its medicinal value. Fresh beet juice mixed with a tablespoonful of honey taken every morning before breakfast helps the healing of gastric ulcers. The juice should be taken once daily.

Leaves of beet root, eaten as green-leafy vegetable are also valuable in jaundice and gastric ulcers.

Constipation and Piles

The cellulose content of the beet acts as a bulk residue, increases peristalsis. Its regular use thus prevents habitual constipation. A decoction (concentrate by boiling) of the beet root is highly valuable in chronic constipation and hemorrhoids, a.k.a. piles. It may be given in doses of half to one cups at bed time.

Circulatory Disorders

The beet juice is an excellent solvent for inorganic calcium deposits. It is therefore, valuable in the treatment of hypertension, arteriosclerosis, heart trouble and varicose veins.

Kidney and Gall Bladder Disorders

The beet juice, in combination with the juice of carrot and cucumber, is one of the finest cleansing materials for kidneys and gall bladder. It is highly beneficial in all disorders relating to these two organs.

Skin Disorders

The water in which beet roots and tops have been boiled is an excellent application for boils, skin inflammation and out breaks of pimples and pustules. The white beet is better for this purpose. For an irritable skin the body should be sponged down occasionally with a mixture of three parts of beet water to one part of white vinegar. This mixture is also useful as a skin wash in cases of measles and eruptive fevers.

Dandruff

The decoction of beets mixed with little vinegar and ginger can be used externally to cleanse dandruff from the head. The beet water mixture should also be massaged into the scalp every night.